"And from here, the disaster struck." ~ Subhadra

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"Brata, come with me, I'll take you to the medician." I whispered urgently, and Brata Nakul just shrugged in his usual careless tone, "It is just a minor wound, Bhadra! Don't worry too much about it." He replied, trying to brush it under the carpet. 

"Brata Bheem!" I whined, glancing at him for support. He nodded and within seconds, lifted Nakul over his shoulder, walking towards the entrance of the chamber. 

"Wh- what are you doing? People are watching! Brata, I am not a kid anymore. I am a Prince in charge of many kingdoms." Brata Nakul whined, covering his face with his hands, hoping that doing so would reduce his embarrassment. 

I gawked at them for a moment, before Brata Sahadev nudged my shoulder, bringing me out of my daze. "Don't you think you must go along!" He asked, suppressing his smile. "Oh, yes!" I said, looking back to see Arya talking with the guests.  

"I'll tell him. Go." Brata Sahadev said and I nodded, walking out of the chamber. 

* * *

"Does it pain?" The medician asked, pressing various spots in Brata Nakul's leg. Brata Nakul just rolled his eyes at every question, glancing everywhere else, other than the people present in the room. 

"Nakul! You're behaving like an insolent kid at this point!" Brata Bheem reprimanded as the former looked at him, "Brata, I'm a doctor myself. I know this is just a minor injury and nothing serious. Still, you insist on all this!" 

He complained and the doctor turned to both of us. "He is right, Prince. This is just a small wound." I sighed, and looked at Brata Bheem who blinked reassuringly at me. I nodded once, before Brata Nakul began, "Bratashri? Now that I am sick, can you make me some delicious halwa?"   

Brata Bheem crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, "But I think you just argued that you were fine." Brata Nakul shrugged, "See, this is still a wound. Nothing fatal, but I need to rest until I can walk freely like before." 

"Alright, I'll make some, just this one time." Brata Bheem said, walking out of the chamber, the doctor following suit. I looked at my feet, how could a playful stamp result in an injury?

I was no Brata Bheem or Lord Hanuman in the first place, to possess that kind of strength. I slightly lifted my left leg and pressed it upon my right leg to test the weight and pressure.   

And I felt... nothing. it didn't hurt. I sighed in confusion when I heard the voice laughing in my head, mysteriously. 

"Bhadra! Bhadra!" 

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking at Brata Nakul. "What Brata?" 

"Can you bring a book for me from the royal library? I'll complete reading it in the meantime." He asked. I nodded, "Which one?" I asked and he just stared at me, till a point where I started growing uncomfortable. "Brata?"   

"Huh?" He whispered, saying, "Yeah.. what was I saying? Ask the librarian to bring me the last book I was reading." I nodded, half heartedly and walked out of the chamber, as Brata Nakul's piercing gaze remained on me till I exited. 

* * *

"Princess?" I heard a voice and turned to my maid. "Yes?" 

"You had asked to meet the doctor of the Queen right? He's been waiting for you, outside her chamber." I nodded, and asked her to fetch the book Brata Nakul wanted from the library.  

"Oh, Princess. I trust you're missing me.." 

I heard a voice and before I knew, an invisible force gripped my wrist, pulling me towards the ground. I gasped, trying to steady myself, but it felt as though something was anchoring my hand, yanking me down. 

"Princess! Are you alright?" The maid rushed to me, and before I could respond, we heard another voice. 

"Bhadra!" It was Arya's voice. And soon, I felt a pair of hands hold me by my shoulders to keep me upright. I exhaled shallow breaths and turned to look at him, upon hearing his anguished voice, "Are you okay Bhadra?" 

And that.. turned out to be the worst I could ever do. As my eyes met his, disaster struck. I did not see the usual hazel eyes, instead, it was a pair of green colored eyes staring at me. I gasped, working my eyes down to his lips, as they twisted into a slow, deliberate eerie smile. A smile that I had never seen before. 

And without a delay, I jerked away, stumbling backwards, my breath erratic as I tried to create a distance between us. "Bhadra!" I heard his confused voice, as he took a few steps towards me before I raised my hand mid-air, halting him on his tracks. 

He glanced at my hand and then at me, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Don't...." I managed to whisper, my voice trembling. "Don't you dare come closer!" 

"Bhadra.. what's wrong with you?" He asked, calmly, though I could sense a fear in his voice. I shook my head, trying to come with some valid reason to counter his question. But as expected, I could think of nothing. 

"Just stay away from me..." I whispered and before he could say something, I swiftly walked out of the corridor, my form shaking under the impact of whatever had happened.  

* * *

"Princess Subhadra?" 

I nodded at the doctor, my eyes resting on the closer door of Jiji's room. "How is she?" I asked and he sighed, "I don't want to lie to you, Princess. The Queen's condition isn't improving. She is barely conscious." He replied. And I sighed in despair. 

The timing of everything was terrible. Trigarta's ministers, my weird visions, Jiji's deteriorating health, Brata Nakul's injury.. nothing was going right in the kingdom. I turned to the doctor, who instinctively dropped his gaze to the floor, surprising me. Was I looking that scary? I thought. 

But, brushing that aside, I asked him, "What exactly is her condition? My husband told me that it is an unidentifiable disease." He nodded, saying.

"The Queen has completely lose her consciousness over the days. But there is no physical injury. Her body is functioning like any normal day. We haven't been able to find the reason yet."  

"And why do you suspect that it is contagious?" I asked.

He met my eyes, his lips frowning in thought. I could feel the tension in the air rise before saying, "What is it? Your silence is scaring me, doctor." 

"Because one of my attendants whom I had assigned to take care of the Princess died within two days of her service." I widened my eyes in shock, "What?"  

"Yes, Princess Subhadra. She had the same condition at the time of her death. A prolonged state of unconsciousness before losing her breath." I shivered under his words, my eyes instinctively shifting towards my sister's chamber. 

"Do the Pandavas know?" He shook his head. "No, Princess. We have kept it confidential." 

"What can I do to ensure Jiji gets well soon?" I asked. 

"I don't have an answer to that, Princess. For now, you could just pray for the Queen." He replied and I nodded helplessly. The doctor walked out of the corridor and I walked towards Jiji's chamber, placing my hand against the door, "I miss you, Jiji.." I whispered. 

"Why do you want to kill her too?" 

* * *

The day passed with all unmemorable events and I finally returned to my chamber. The voice had been quiet for the rest of the day, and I had no idea if I had to call that a blessing. Now, my basal concern was just one person.. Arya.

And as I stood by my mirror, removing my jewelry, I heard a knock at the door. And I sighed, preparing myself for the confrontation.

"Enter." 

The door creaked opened, producing an eerie sound and I could sense Arya walk into the room. I did not directly look at him, though I stole a few glances of him from the mirror. He said nothing, just came and stood behind me, watching my actions quietly.

I could sense the tension rising in the air. But neither of us acknowledged it.  

"And finally, tonight, my wish is going to be fulfilled.."

I heard the voice and instantly, my hands trembled, in turn fumbling with the chain around my neck. As I continued to struggle further, I heard Arya clear his throat and without asking, he extended his hand towards me. I glanced at him from the mirror and felt a jolt as his fingers brushed against mine, as he touched the jewel. 

I immediately shut my eyes, drawing back my hand. The last thing I wanted was to end the day with something utterly spooky. As I patiently waited for him to finish, a mock laughter echoed inside my mind. And as though recognizing my distress, Arya finally spoke, his tone quiet, almost casual. 

"Done."

I opened my eyes, blinking, and nodded slightly, still not daring to meet his gaze. "Thank you." I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible. But even as I turned, ready to retreat and walk away from the mirror, I felt a sudden block in my path.

He had stepped in front of me, his eyes fixed at mine. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice low but edged with frustration. "Why are you ignoring me?"

I took a step back, before I could finally find the courage to say something. "I.. " I paused abruptly and the sight behind Arya caught my attention. 

I saw Jiji lying there, on the bed, a pool of blood surrounding her body. Her eyes were wide open, staring right into my face. And beside her, stood a black figure, more like a shadow, his sword painted with blood, as he stared at her.  

* * *

PS: The end got a little scary I guess. Even I didn't expect that by the way. This chapter has a lot going on and I was actually planning to write everything in detail. But with the way the current track is being perceived, I felt its better to wrap it up as quickly as possible. I had a long prompt and backstory kinda thing ready for this figure but I'm now sure if I must go that route as that would require many more chapters and all the characters from Hastinapur. I will anyways update one more chapter soon, whenever I can and decide what I'm supposed to do.

Take care guys! 
Hope you guys have a great day ahead!